A Day In The Life Of A Farmer: Destoning

This year we have planted just shy of 170 acres of potatoes on the farm across 10 fields. They are grown on contract for McCains and are turned into their own brand frozen chips found in most supermarkets in the UK. The varieties we grow are Royal and Pentland Dell.
The planting campaign lasted 10 days (really 9 full days). I was on the Fendt 724 and Grimme destoner, following the bed tiller and being chased down by the planter.
I hope you enjoy the video!

[@benaubrey6651]

Good video. Even though my main work is driving diggers, I’ve spent time on spuds planting and lifting in Herefordshire too. Some of the best county side to view through the day

[@stef7396]

so how do you only have 1.68k subs when you have vids this good

[@jimmytee3599]

Can i use this on a flat field instead of a rock rake

[@sislajpaveslaj7597]

Good

[@irishjockey4212]

Great video well explained. 1 question: the stones are moved from bed to bed but What happens the stones when they accumulate and accumulate? Thanks

[@JJ_MacLeod]

Great question! The stones dont actually get moved from bed to bed although it does look like it. They sit inbetween the beds and get run over by the wheel of the tractor and destoner on the following pass!

[@irishjockey4212]

Ooh, so I guess u could attach a trailer or something to clear them out completely Il invent somthing

[@pfaunimaster523]

@@irishjockey4212 why would you want to?

[@irishjockey4212]

@@pfaunimaster523 so u never have to destone that field again

[@pfaunimaster523]

@@irishjockey4212 would imagine stone are important for soil structure drainage etc. No sure it would be good to remove them completely.

[@thomasmiddleditch9705]

I am on a destoner for about a month on our farm

[@JJ_MacLeod]

Thomas middleditch Nice one - how’s it going this year?

[@thomasmiddleditch9705]

@@JJ_MacLeod good but could do with some rain wating flat out atm busy but always fun lol

[@challengerhitchman]

Since you have lifted the stones why not haul them away so next year you don't lift the same stone again. After a couple of years I would imagine the fields would be pretty clean. My dad used a rock rake and rock picker for several years to clean up his fields 40 years ago. Between the picker and years of hand picking the fields are very clean today and need very little attention each year.

[@ciandaly7362]

You can only plant potatoes every 5 or 6 years in the rotation. Not only is hauling away the couple hundred tons of stones a highly expensive endeavour, its also really bad for the field to take all those little stones out, your field gets too dry and all your good soil blows away. They are only really taken out to stop them being lifted with the potatoes and put into the boxes as you are payed by weight and the factory dont like stones.

[@challengerhitchman]

@@ciandaly7362 interesting how farming is different around the world. We have no trouble getting rid of rocks, someone always has a hole to fill.

[@Louis-B-53]

Stones are needed for drainage